‘We’re in a crisis’: Top Saskatchewan doctor says COVID-19 surge won’t end soon

By David Lao Global News
Posted October 3, 2021

Sask. Health Authority top doctor does not see end in ‘near future’ to climbing COVID-19 hospitalizations

As Saskatchewan’s rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to hit record-breaking numbers, the chief medical officer of the province’s health authority says that she doesn’t see an end to their health-care crisis coming “in the near future.”

The comments from Saskatchewan Health Authority Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Shaw, who spoke with The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson, come just days after the province’s health minister expressed hesitancy at describing their health-care situation as a crisis or emergency, despite the province seeing a per capita rate of new COVID-19 cases three times the national average and a death rate of four times the national average.


READ MORE: Saskatchewan’s proof of vaccination, negative test result policy now in effect

“The word crisis can mean different things to different people, but it’s certainly an extreme, challenging time. I’m hearing this directly from the doctors, sometimes indirectly from the doctors,” said Health Minister Paul Merriman on Wednesday after being asked whether there was a crisis

In response to whether there was an emergency in the province, Shaw laid it out plainly: “I do think we’re in a crisis.”

Shaw pointed to the province’s ICUs surging beyond usual capacity, forcing adults to be admitted to pediatric intensive care units usually reserved for children, as well as the suspension of hundreds of surgeries and procedures and the province’s organ donor program.

1:55 Business owners worried by vaccination proof pushback

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that people get the best care they can, regardless of what type of illness they have. But it is a real struggle,” said Shaw.

“We’ve been facing increased numbers for weeks now and I don’t see an end coming in the near future.”

Health officials in Saskatchewan tallied another 480 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, as well as another eight people who have died after contracting the virus.

A total of 239 patients are in-hospital receiving care while another 67 are in ICUs.

On Friday, a new proof-of-vaccination or negative test result policy went into effect across Saskatchewan, requiring residents to provide either of those in order to access several businesses or locations in the province.

On whether the new proof of vaccination policy had come too little, too late, Shaw expressed optimism in its implementation but added that it left room for it to still be expanded.

1:35 All Saskatchewan health authority employees to show proof-of-vaccination, or negative test to work

When asked about what needs to be done next by the province, Shaw pointed to a set of recommendations sent by her and other medical officers to the province’s chief medical health officer and elected officials.

“I think the situation has changed significantly since then because we’re seeing even more daily numbers, which are people with infections presenting for care,” said Shaw, who urged the government to consider reducing the size of indoor gatherings.

“I think we need to go even further and making sure that vaccines are accepted and necessary to go into as many places as possible. And I do think that there’s an opportunity here to slow things down so that the system can at least plateau and then hopefully get into recovery mode.”

Explainer: What's behind the wild surges in global LNG prices and the risks ahead

By Jessica Jaganathan

A liquified natural gas (LNG) tanker leaves the dock after discharge at PetroChina's receiving terminal in Dalian, Liaoning province, China July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Chen Aizhu/File Photo

Summary

Asian LNG prices surge from below $2/mmBtu to above $34/mmBtu

European gas storage at low levels, fuelling restocking efforts

Maintenance at LNG plants prolonged and delayed due to COVID

SINGAPORE, Oct 1 (Reuters) - In less than a year and a half, liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices have lurched from record lows to record highs, with the market first reeling from the impact of the pandemic and now unable to keep up with a global recovery in demand.

Demand jumped on economic growth plus a cold northern hemisphere winter followed by a hot summer, while supplies have been stymied by production problems. Recent power curbs and outages across China due to coal shortages have only exacerbated competition between Asia and Europe in securing sources of energy.

That's led to LNG prices hitting $34 per million British thermal units this week compared with just under $2 mmBtu in May 2020, while European gas prices have catapulted 300% higher this year.

Key LNG prices

HOW BAD IS THE SUPPLY-DEMAND MISMATCH?

Gas inventories remain critically tight in Europe and Asia which together account for 94% of global LNG imports and over a third of global gas consumption.

Most major LNG producers are operating at or close to full capacity and have allocated the vast majority of their shipments to specific customers, leaving little prospect of a short-term fix.

According to the International Gas Union, only 8.9 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of a total 139.1 mtpa of planned new liquefaction capacity is expected to come online in 2021.

Some of that additional capacity has been delayed by COVID-19 movement restrictions that have stopped or dragged out construction and maintenance work at several key sites including in Indonesia and Russia over the past year.

So far this year, 288.1 million tonnes of LNG has loaded for exports globally, just 7% growth over the same period last year, Refinitiv data shows.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS AHEAD?

Buyers may struggle to buy enough gas for restocking and use. Less wind in Europe lately has boosted gas usage by power stations there, while in China power is being rationed to industry and some residential users, triggering a jump in LNG imports.


Current long-range forecasts call for a mild winter in much of Asia this year, but the market fears a repeat of the 2020/21 cold snap could lead to a buying binge similar to the one in January that fired up prices.

"At the extreme, it would not be a surprise if some gas or LNG cargoes could even change hands in the $100/MMBtu range, or ~$580/bbl in oil-equivalent terms, based on observing how prices have spiked in the U.S. gas market, for example, over the past ten years," Citi said in a note to clients last week.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Spot LNG fell to a record low of $1.85/mmBtu in May 2020, when coronavirus containment measures snuffed out power demand just as new supplies from major producers including Qatar, Australia and the United States flowed onto the market.

Global LNG exports

LNG producers slashed production, reducing shipments through the 2020 summer which have had a lasting impact on global gas inventories. The 2020/21 winter freeze then caught many power providers short, sparking a surge in spot demand and tightening gas stockpiles further just as logistics constraints slowed delivery times.

Those factors and high shipping rates sent LNG spot prices rocketing to a record $32.50 per mmBtu in mid-January, though prices returned below $10 by the end of the month.

Prices have since bounced back. European buyers struggled to rebuild stocks, with a hot summer boosting air conditioner use just as high carbon prices forced power generators to cut coal use and burn more gas. Gas field maintenance in Norway and lower volumes from Russia also cut supplies.

Higher purchases by Asia on growth in Chinese demand and stock rebuilding exacerbated Europe's shortfall, resulting in Europe-bound shipments through August sliding 18% from the same period in 2020, Refinitiv data shows.

Europe LNG imports

That left Europe's gas inventories at 50-60% full by late summer, compared to 80% in the same period last year. The current re-stocking wave is now fuelling Europe's surge in gas prices.

WILL SUPPLIES BE FORTHCOMING?

Apart from COVID-19-related project delays, the global energy sector pivot away from fossil fuels towards greener energy supplies has slowed investment in LNG infrastructure. That has hindered the ability of producers to quickly deliver more supply to market, said Charif Souki, co-founder of U.S natural gas company Tellurian (TELL.O).

"The world was kind of lulled to complacency because prices were low for five years so no one felt an urge to plan and everyone got very religious on environmental protection and it is wonderful – we should be – but we should look at what things actually work rather than simply what we hope for," he added.

 Montreal

Scientists discover a new invertebrate species in rare fossil in Gaspé park

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Researchers say the fossil gives important clues about origins of multicellular animals

CBC News · Posted: Oct 03, 2021 

An illustration of the comb jelly fish, upper right, that was fossilized at Miguasha park.                    (Submitted by Richard Cloutier)

A group of scientists has identified a new invertebrate species from a rare fossil found in Gaspésie's Miguasha provincial park. The species is a ctenophore, or comb jelly, a soft-bodied fish that looks like a jellyfish.

"It's a very interesting fossil, and it's revealing a lot of insights about the evolution of life," said Richard Cloutier, a paleontologist and one of the lead researchers. "It's very, very rare that we have that kind of fossil," he added.

This discovery is important because it confirms that comb jellies were among the earliest multicellular animals, giving clues about the origins of complex life forms on the planet, explained the paleontologist who works at the Université du Québec à Rimouski. 

He said it supports the theory that animals evolved either from sponges or comb jellies, because it confirms that the species existed hundreds of millions of years ago, when life forms were at their most primitive.

The six-centimetre fossil was first discovered in 2017 in Miguasha, a site well known for its abundance of prehistoric fish fossils. But the specimen dates back 375 million years, from an era called the Late Devonian.

Richard Cloutier led a team of researchers that discovered the existence of a new comb jelly species in an ancient fossil from Gaspésie's Miguasha provincial park. (Submitted by Richard Cloutier)

A very rare specimen

What makes this specimen unique is that the fish was preserved despite having no bones, teeth or cartilage, Cloutier said.

"Normally what we find in the fossil, it's all the hard parts," explained Cloutier. "Usually when it's a soft-bodied animal, there's nothing that could be preserved."

Hans Larsson, a paleontology professor at McGill University's Redpath Museum who was not involved in the research, confirmed the fossil's discovery was exceptional: "Imagine preserving a jellyfish for hundreds of millions of years in a rock. It's almost impossible to even imagine the odds of finding this," he said.

In fact, he said, the odds are so slim that they can be counted on someone's fingers.

Miguasha park's collection manager, Johanne Kerr, said she was very intrigued when the fossil showed up on her desk because it was very different than anything she had seen before.

The Miguasha provincial park is a UNESCO World Heritage site well-known for its abundance of prehistoric fossils. (Submitted by Richard Cloutier)

So, she decided to reach out to Cloutier, and that started a quest to figure out what it was. An expert from Switzerland and one from Australia eventually also joined the research team. 

Discovering that it was an entirely new species of comb jelly was really exciting and a proud moment, Kerr said. "It confirmed that the Miguasha site is really exceptional," she said. 

The park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, has an abundance of preserved vertebrates, but finding fossils of soft-bodied fish is new, she said. 

"Now that we know we can find this type of fossils here in Miguasha, we'll keep an eye out for more of them," she said. 

Cloutier will bring back the fossil to the Miguasha park in the coming weeks, where it will be available for other scientists who wish to examine it. It will be available for public viewing next year.

GHOSTED

Contractor seems to have ‘abandoned’ North Shore wastewater plant, says Metro Vancouver

By Simon Little Global News
Posted October 3, 2021 1:28 pm

Construction on the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant. North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant

Officials with Metro Vancouver say the contractor building a new billion-dollar wastewater treatment plant on the North Shore appears to have “abandoned the project.”


“On Wednesday, September 29, without notice, Metro Vancouver learned that the contractor of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP, significantly reduced staff working on the project,” Metro Vancouver spokesperson Amanda McCuaig said in an email.

READ MORE: Cost for new North Shore sewage treatment plant climbs over $1B

Metro Vancouver says it revised its contract with Acciona in 2019, giving it two-and-a-half additional years to complete the project, with a new target date of the end of 2023.

“While Metro Vancouver has continued to uphold the terms of the contract, including making all payments due, Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP has fallen behind meeting key milestones,” McCuaig said.

Concerns about raw sewage leaking into Fraser River – Apr 28, 2020

Acciona did not respond to a request for comment.

Metro Vancouver said it remained “committed” to the project, and were reviewing options on how to proceed. It was unclear how the current setback would affect the project timeline.

READ MORE: No more stink: North Shore sewage treatment plant to be relocated in $700M project

It’s not the first time the project has faced controversy.

Earlier this year, Metro Vancouver revealed the final cost of the project had ballooned to more than $1 billion with an in-service date of 2024, up from an estimated cost of $700 million with a 2020 completion date in 2017.

When completed, the new facility will serve North and West Vancouver, as well as the Squamish Nation.

It’s designed to replace the current wastewater plant under the Lions Gate Bridge, which was built in 1961.

 Sudbury

French River man discovers geological formation in his backyard

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A rock "pot" or "kettle" is a cylindrical geological formation found in granite

THESE CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN CASTLEGAR, NELSON B.C. RIVERS

CBC News · Posted: Oct 03, 2021 

David Lichty lives in Monetville, southeast of Greater Sudbury, and discovered a geological formation members of the nearby Dokis First Nation call rock “pots” or “kettles” in his backyard. (Supplied by David Lichty)

When David Lichty noticed a unique rock formation in his backyard, he started digging.

"I first exposed a bunch of rocks and there was a section of rock that looked a little different, had a different curve to it, and I thought, 'What is this?'" he said.

Lichty lives in Monetville, southeast of Greater Sudbury. What he discovered was a geological formation members of the nearby Dokis First Nation call rock "pots" or "kettles."

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What Lichty found looked like a perfect circle in the granite that had a hollow core. It took him a week of digging to reach the bottom, around four metres below his backyard.

David Lichty's children play in a formation called a rock "pot" or "kettle" he discovered in his backyard. Video credit: David Lichty 0:28

At one end he measured the diameter to be around two metres, and a bit under two metres at the other.

Lichty said uncovering the formation brought out his inner child.

"I think you feel kind of like an archaeologist, I suppose," he said. "Am I going to reach the bottom? And at what point do I quit? But I don't know, I'm pretty driven at times, to my wife's chagrin." 

Formations are sacred to Dokis First Nation

After he uncovered the formation, Lichty invited Norm Dokis, a knowledge keeper with the Dokis First Nation, to take a look.

"It was quite fascinating," Dokis told the CBC. "I was comparing it to some of the rock formations at the Dokis First Nation, where I'm from, and I appreciate David getting a hold of us because these rock pots are sacred for our people."

Dokis said similar rock pots were found near canoe portage points. They were places where his people would ask for safe passage. Because the formation resembles a pipe bowl, it was also common to lay tobacco at those locations.

David Lichty dug four metres below his backyard, in Monetville, Ont., to uncover a cylindrical geological formation in the granite. (Supplied by David Lichty)

Because he has young children, Lichty said he will put a barrier around the formation. 

"The idea was to have a nice rock garden for my kids to have a safe place to climb on rocks, and I've got this really deep hole," he said. 

Arctic sea ice hits 2021 minimum

This summer’s minimum ice cover was twelfth-lowest ever — and scientists warn that the long-term trend towards shrinking continues.

Tosin Thompson

Arctic animals such as polar bears rely on sea ice. Although this year’s annual minimum extent was relatively high, ice cover is shrinking as global temperatures rise

Credit: Ekaterina Anismova/AFP via Getty

Arctic sea ice has passed its minimum extent for this year, shrinking to 4.72 million square kilometres on 16 September, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has reported.

Owing to a cool and cloudy Arctic summer, this year’s annual minimum was the highest since 2014 — ice covered nearly 1 million square kilometres more than last year’s extent of 3.82 million square kilometres, which was the second-lowest ever observed (see ‘Ice cover’). But it is still the twelfth-lowest sea-ice extent in nearly 43 years of satellite recordings, and scientists say that the long-term trend is towards lower ice cover.

“Even with global warming and the overall downward trend in sea ice, there is still natural variability,” says Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at NSIDC, who is based at the University of Colorado Boulder.


Source: NSIDC

The minimum Arctic sea-ice extent is declining at a rate of 13.1% per decade. “Including this year, the last 15 years have had the 15 lowest minimum Arctic extents on record,” Meier says. The lowest minimum extent on record was set in 2012, after a very strong storm sped up the loss of thin ice that was already on the verge of melting.

“The average of all the years is steadily decreasing while the average global mean temperature is increasing,” says Steven Amstrup, chief scientist of Polar Bears International in Bozeman, Montana. He adds that, although there might be higher sea-ice extents in any given year, the frequency of “bad” ice years with a low minimum sea-ice extent is increasing. “Better ice years are increasingly anomalous in the long-term trend,” Amstrup says.
A cool summer

Arctic regions experienced a cooler, cloudier summer season than usual this year, which was partly caused by patterns of low atmospheric pressure in the Northern Hemisphere.




Arctic 2.0: What happens after all the ice goes?

In June and July, weak low pressure in the central Arctic prevented warmer, southern winds from being drawn into the area. This kept the air cold and stopped some of the ice from melting. Low pressure also causes the formation of clouds, which block sunlight. This can further slow down melting.

In August, the low-pressure system shifted to the north of Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, producing air temperatures that were 2—3 °C lower than average. And last year’s winter winds had pushed older, thicker ice into both seas. “So going into the summer, the ice there was thicker than it had been in recent years, and that made it a bit more resilient,” says Meier. “However, there is also likely a climate-change aspect,” he adds. “There is less older ice overall and the ice cover is thinner. Thinner ice is more easily pushed around by the winds and currents.”

A transient increase in sea ice might create better conditions for species that use the ice to hunt, says Amstrup. “But it’s that downward trend of ice sea, caused by an increasing frequency of bad ice years, that determines the ultimate fate of polar bears and other sea-ice-dependent wildlife.”

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02649-6

ATCO plans two Calgary solar farms in bid to give customers 'decarbonization' options for electricity

Author of the article: Brodie Thomas
Publishing date: Sep 29, 2021 •

An artist's rendition of the ATCO Group's Deerfoot solar project to be built at the corner of 114 Avenue and 52 Street SE in Calgary. 

PHOTO BY CNW GROUP/ATCO LTD

The ATCO Group announced plans Wednesday to build two solar installations in Calgary with the capacity to power more than 18,000 homes.

The solar farms, to be built in the city’s southeast, will be as large as about 170 football fields. They will contain 175,000 bifacial solar panels and will offset 68,000 tonnes of carbon a year.

Karen Nielsen, senior vice-president of North American renewables for ATCO, said each panel will collect energy from both sides — with one pointed toward the sun and the opposite side collecting ambient light.

“When land and our footprint is so important, we’re trying to extract as much generation as we can out of that land,” said Nielsen.

The Deerfoot project, at 114th Avenue and 52nd Street S.E., will produce 37 megawatts and is currently in the permitting phase. The Barlow project, at Barlow Trail and 114 Avenue S.E., will produce 27 megawatts and has already received permit approval.

t

An artist’s rendition of the ATCO Group’s Barlow solar project to be built at the corner of Barlow Trail and 114 Avenue SE in Calgary. PHOTO BY CNW GROUP/ATCO LTD

ATCO hopes to begin construction on both early next year, and have them up and running by the fourth quarter of next year.

Nielsen said the two locations are former industrial sites that have limited use for other construction.

“They were at the time part of a fertilizer plant,” said Nielsen. “So we’re taking land that is really limited in terms of its usefulness for construction and we’re turning it into something that’s very useful.”

ATCO is working on design optimization to ensure the placement of panels is as efficient as possible. Nielsen said once that’s complete, the company will place orders for the panels. She’s hopeful supply chains that have been disrupted at times by the global pandemic will co-operate.

This is not ATCO’s first foray into renewable energy. The company recently acquired a solar project near Empress in eastern Alberta, and has completed two solar projects in Canada’s North. It has what it calls a “growing renewable portfolio” in Canada, Mexico, Chile and Australia.

“The acquisition of three major solar projects shows how important we believe it is to provide customers with the opportunity to decarbonize their energy consumption,” said Bob Myles, executive vice-president of corporate development at ATCO.

“Whether it’s the far North or an urban centre, ATCO is delivering on our strategy to help communities accelerate their transition to clean energy in a safe, affordable and reliable manner. These solar projects are also prime examples of the kinds of opportunities we’ll continue to pursue as we grow our renewables portfolio.”

Nielsen said this will be a unique project because many solar and wind energy installations are in rural areas, while this one will be highly visible from major roads in the city.

She said ATCO is committed to energy sustainability, and bringing that to consumers.

“We know intuitively our friends and neighbours want to live more sustainably. We see our goal as providing them with the solutions so they can make the choices to live the way they want.”

Yukonomist: A firewood shortage in the middle of the forest

KEITH HALLIDAY
Oct. 2, 2021 10:00 a.m.

The Wall Street Journal is a fine newspaper, but its Markets section doesn’t have what you really need this time of year: good coverage of the firewood market.

Pick your word. Yukon buyers are agog, gobsmacked, bouleversé, or worse at news that a prominent local firewood provider is charging $500 per cord.

Just a few years ago, you might have picked up a cord for $250 or less.

This is one of those landmark moments. Like how your grandfather still complains about the day gasoline hit a dollar a gallon.

If you are on a budget and live in an older home that burns a half-dozen cords a winter, pricey firewood is a major problem.

So, has firewood joined tech stocks, real estate and Bitcoin in the pantheon of financial bubbles?

No. People aren’t yet borrowing money to buy firewood in the hope of flipping it for $600 later.

But even if it is not a bubble, what is going on?

It comes down to good old supply and demand. There is not a lot of good data on either firewood supply or demand. People cut their own wood. There are lots of small operators and many cash transactions.

Back in firewood’s heyday, every house in Whitehorse used to burn wood for heat, and a sternwheeler might burn two cords an hour during its three- or four-day trip up from Dawson City.

These days, one market insider I spoke to estimated that Whitehorse burns around 10,000 cords of wood per year. If everyone paid $500 per cord, that would make firewood a $5 million-a-year business.

Despite the popularity of electrical heat in new construction, lots of people with older homes see firewood as a way to dodge high bills for oil, propane or electricity. Some also like how it avoids climate-change inducing fossil fuels. Demand has probably been growing in recent years along with our population.

However, an economist would not expect steadily growing demand to cause a price spike in a market like firewood. The Yukon has lots of trees and anyone, including customers, with a pickup and a chainsaw can get into the business.

There must be more going on.

The Yukon Statistics Bureau says gasoline is about 30 per cent more expensive than a year ago. Bigger operators with diesel equipment have seen that fuel rise 25 per cent. And there is a labour shortage, so wages and profits need to be a bit higher to keep people in the business compared to other employment opportunities.

But this still doesn’t seem like enough to explain $500-a-cord firewood.

Perhaps COVID-19 is responsible, like outbreaks shutting down lumber mills or semiconductor shortages closing down car factories?

No, instead it looks like we can blame it on an Administranium outbreak in the Yukon’s multi-level governmental apparatus. As reported in the News in August, “opening up new areas for timber harvest has been an uphill battle, with applications taking between 400 and 600 days to be approved.” The owner of Caribou Crossing Wood Supply said they would be importing logs from British Columbia.

Go to Google Earth and look at a satellite photo of the Yukon. You’ll see a lot of trees. If we’re importing logs, it makes me think I should quit my day job and start exporting ice to Greenland.

Similar to the way our government leaders managed to create a land shortage in a territory the size of France with a population of 40,000 people, we now have a wood shortage while living in the middle of the forest.

Myles Thorp, executive director of the Yukon Wood Products Association, said in early August that “When we started the process, it was inconceivable that we would be sitting here three years later … and still looking at no permits coming out of that thing for five years due to the administrative processes.”

So who is accountable? As is usual with Administranium outbreaks, everyone and no one. YESAB, territorial departments and First Nations governments are in the mix. The wood permits aren’t stuck with low-level bureaucrats. The issue is on the desks of territorial ministers and YESAB’s top-level executive committee.

An industry voice I spoke to described it as a joint territorial government and YESAB problem.

The territorial minister involved, John Streicker, told the News in August that “The industry had put in for some large blocks and they’ve been taking long through the YESAA system.”

Since Thorp’s comments, there has been some movement. On September 10, YESAB chair Laura Cabott sent a 203-page report on a large timber harvest plan near Haines Junction to the Yukon government for a decision. YESAB recommended approval, subject to 30 mitigation and six monitoring measures.

So far, however, the efforts of our multi-level governmental apparatus haven’t resulted in lower prices in the market. A local firewood player told me he still has access to wood and is charging less than $500 per cord, but that he is still deluged in desperate calls and turning away new customers.

So far, so unfortunate for families that rely on wood heat. Ditto for biomass suppliers, who are supposed to be one of our private-sector economic growth opportunities. But it’s good news for fossil-fuel providers, since people will rely more for heat on oil, propane and LNG-fuelled electricity.

Meanwhile, the Yukon government’s climate change plan mentions biomass 19 times as part of a plan to ramp up wood burning to reduce fossil-fuel emissions. It targets 20 large commercial and industrial biomass heating systems around the Yukon by 2030. If the average Yukoner can’t get enough reasonably priced firewood, what is going to happen when major buildings start sucking in firewood in industrial quantities?

The good news is that regular Yukoners can distance themselves from the Administranium outbreak by getting a personal firewood permit and cutting their own. Keep at least two metres from YESAB, and wear kevlar pants, ear and eye protection, and don’t forget to oil your chainsaw regularly.

Keith Halliday is a Yukon economist, author of the Aurore of the Yukon youth adventure novels and co-host of the Klondike Gold Rush History podcast. He is a Ma Murray award-winner for best columnist.

KENNEY KILLED WHO? UCP DEATH PANELS

Corbella: Unvaccinated are being given better care than the vaccinated needing medical care

'Our health-care pie is not unlimited in size and so we are being forced into the awful position of deciding who gets care and who does not'

Author of the article: Licia Corbella
Publishing date: Sep 29, 2021 

A steady wave of ambulances enter the Foothills hospital in Calgary on Monday, September 27, 2021. 

PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOWICHUK/POSTMEDIA

First the numbers, then the stories. Here’s hoping one, or the other, or both, will encourage the unvaccinated to get their shots.

During Tuesday’s lengthy COVID-19 update, Premier Jason Kenney pointed out that while only 17 per cent of eligible Albertans are unvaccinated, they make up 92 per cent of all intensive-care patients clogging our hospitals, proving that this devastating fourth COVID-19 wave really is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.

These would be devastating numbers under normal circumstances, but because of this official public health emergency, Alberta has had to add 197 ICU surge spaces. Without these additional spaces, our ICUs would be at 184 per cent of capacity.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw had many other numbers in her update Tuesday, saying there are currently 1,100 people in hospital, including 263 in the ICU, and 18 more deaths were reported over the previous 24 hours.

But in case numbers don’t paint a compelling enough picture for those who are hesitant to get a vaccine, it’s time to hear about the cost their choice is having on other Albertans who need vital health care and can’t get it because the unvaccinated have overwhelmed our health-care system.

Dr. Edward Les, a pediatric emergency room physician in Calgary and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Calgary, says while all people should be treated with love and compassion — including those who refuse to get vaccinated — “there’s a component to this discussion that receives short shrift, time and time again — and that is that the necessary medical and surgical care of those who are responsibly immunized is being severely curtailed by the pandemic of the unvaccinated.”

About 75 per cent of all surgeries for Alberta children have been postponed to ensure all skilled hands can be on deck for people who wouldn’t need to be in the medical system if only they had been vaccinated.

Ward 6 Coun. Jeff Davison, who is running to be mayor in the Oct. 18 municipal election, recently revealed that his six-year-old daughter’s much-needed kidney surgery was delayed.

Davison confirmed to Postmedia reporter Meghan Potkins that his little girl suffers from a rare condition known by the medical acronym VACTERL association.

“Before we get to the surgery, there has to be an evaluation,” Davison said. “But the letter AHS sent us said that she will not even be seen for evaluation until February. Our system is now being overrun by people who refuse to believe that COVID is real. What happens if she does get into an emert

Calgary City Coun. Jeff Davison pictured with his six-year-old daughter. 

Davison says his daughter’s kidney surgery has been delayed due to COVID-19.

 PHOTO BY COURTESY /Jeff Davison

Every parent knows that watching your child suffer is a special kind of hell. Worrying that your child’s health is being forever harmed as you wait is an added layer of agony. So, multiply Davison’s anguish by many hundreds.

Les’s wife is also a physician — with a specialty in obstetrics and gynecology.

“She has had to cancel her so-called elective surgery schedule indefinitely — to be clear, elective does not mean unnecessary,” said Les.

“Consider the women she had scheduled to receive hysteroscopies — a procedure to examine the inside of the uterus to delineate the cause of abnormal uterine bleeding — some of these women will prove to have endometrial cancer, where early diagnosis may very well be critical to long-term survival,” said Les.

He says he has a friend whose bile duct cancer surgery was postponed.

As a survivor of triple-negative breast cancer myself, I fully understand the anxiety that such a diagnosis causes for the patient and their family.

Les understands it all too well, too, as he was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer called Chordoma in 2007.

“I can tell you just as sure as I’m sitting in my car at the moment, that if I had had that really complex diagnosis of a very rare cancer, instead of in January 2007 I had it in January of 2020, I’m not sure the outcome would be the same, given how topsy-turvy the medical-care system has become because of the pandemic and all of the ensuing restrictions.”

What is the cost of the loss of life and potential, and the increase in suffering, anxiety and severity of disease? It’s incalculable.

Les says while he agrees with my Tuesday column calling on us to narrow the divide between those of us who are vaccinated and those who are not, he wants to qualify that support.

“When we have the capacity in our health-care system to care for all, we absolutely should provide care for all — no need to triage who gets life-saving care and who does not.

“But we are in crisis. Our health-care pie is not unlimited in size and so we are being forced into the awful position of deciding who gets care and who does not.”

He says my example of drunk drivers, drug addicts, smokers and alcoholics receiving care without judgment — as they should — “are well conceived, but they miss the mark, in my view. Never has there been a time when a pandemic of smokers with lung cancer or COPD, for example, have all presented at once, overwhelming the capacity of our hospitals and intensive-care units and crowding out the essential care of thousands of other patients.”

He agrees that it is morally and ethically reprehensible to deny care to anyone, since all humans have equal worth.

“Yet,” he argues, “by that same metric, is it not morally and ethically reprehensible to deny much-needed medical and surgical care to COVID-immunized patients in favour of care for those who, whatever their motivation, have refused to pick up a readily available tool to prevent their critical disease?”

Yes it is. This is a heart-wrenching, highly emotional discussion.

Les says “a triage system that doesn’t punish the responsibly vaccinated” should be implemented, and he thinks that instead of a vaccine passport, an immunity passport (based on being doubly-vaccinated or with proof of recent infection, as the Israelis do) could act as “a two-pronged prod to the unvaccinated to step up and receive this safe and highly effective vaccine.”

The triage system we have now is putting the unvaccinated ahead of needy children and others who have done what they can to keep others safe by being vaccinated. We’re likely too under the gun to figure this all out during this wave, but we have to get it right for the future.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.

THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT
'Rendering it useless': Alberta releases proof of vaccination QR code without an app to scan it

Author of the article:Kellen Taniguchi
Publishing date:Oct 01, 2021 • 2 days ago • 2 minute read • 20 Comments

Kelly Gordon uses B.C.'s verification app to checks vaccination status at Romer's restaurant in Vancouver. PHOTO BY NICK PROCAYLO /Postmedia
Article content

Albertans can now download their restriction exemption program QR code, however, it cannot be scanned yet

According to the provincial website, the AB COVID Records Verifier app will be launched to scan the codes soon.

“The UCP has had weeks to develop a secure vaccine passport system. Every day without one further risks public health, the personal information of Albertans and damage to our economy,” said Deron Bilous, NDP critic for economic development and innovation in a Friday news release.

The development of a QR code comes on the heels of the provincial government receiving criticism when it first launched its restriction exemption program card because it was too easy to edit and potentially falsify the document.

Meanwhile, Manitoba, Quebec and B.C. have all introduced scannable QR codes for proof of vaccination and Saskatchewan launched its QR code system on Wednesday.

“There is no reason for delays from the UCP. Other jurisdictions have already moved forward with this and Alberta is falling behind. As a result, they’re downloading responsibility on to businesses in the middle of this crisis,” said Bilous. “We need leadership from the government. We need a simple, secure and scannable vaccine passport.”

Premier Jason Kenney said in a Facebook live session on Sept. 16 that a QR code would be available in the near future in addition to the wallet-size printable proof of vaccination document.

“We’re hoping that by early October, the current target day is Oct. 1, you’ll also be able to go on there and download an app, I should say there will be an app which you’ll be able to download and through that get a QR code on your smartphone or print out a QR code,” Kenney said.

He added the codes will be machine readable and show a person’s name and vaccination status.

Alberta’s NDP Opposition has been calling for a scannable vaccine passport since August and Friday’s news release calls the now available QR codes “useless.”

“On Friday, the government launched a QR code for proof of vaccination, but failed to provide the accompanying app to read the code, rendering it useless,” reads the release.